We have previously described (see above) improved techniques for energy control in power conditioning units (inverters). In particular these techniques enable the construction of a dc-to-mains power converter which does not need to use electrolytic capacitors, which are prone to failure, especially at high temperatures as encountered, for example, behind a solar PV (photovoltaic) panel.
Background Prior Art can be Found in:
EP 0780750A; JP 2000020150A; US 2005/0068012; JP 05003678A; GB2415841A; EP0947905A; WO2006/011071; EP1,235,339A; WO2004/006342; DE 100 64 039 A; US2005/030772; WO96/07130; U.S. Pat. No. 6,657,419; US2004/117676; US2006/232220; WO2004/001942; GB2419968A; U.S. Pat. No. 7,319,313; U.S. Pat. No. 7,450,401; U.S. Pat. No. 7,414,870; U.S. Pat. No. 7,064,967; “Cost-Effective Hundred-Year Life for Single-Phase Inverters and Rectifiers in Solar and LED Lighting Applications Based on Minimum Capacitance Requirements and a Ripple Power Port”, P. T. Kerin and R. S. Balog—technical paper; US2009/0097283; “Long-Lifetime Power Inverter for Photovoltaic AC Modules”, C. Rodriguez and G. A. J. Amaratunga, IEEE Trans IE, 55(7), 2008, p2593; US2008/097655.
We will now describe some improved techniques for maximum power point tracking, which are particularly suitable for use with power conditioning units of the types we have previously described.